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Mild hints of old saffron….

Hajime…. Let me assure you; living with a familiar isn’t always a smooth ride through Life. Without getting into superfluous details, let’s just say we had a domestic crisis of some proportion upon first arising today, & let it go. It’s over now, and all is again peaceful between us, so I can get on with the less mundane aspects of my morning routine. Naturally, the delay has set us back, so the scramble to get it done has now entered White Rabbit mode. One part is done, but, the rest will be…. well, it will be the rest.

I’m not even going to try to fool anyone today. I am not a professional, though I do have some investment in producing quality material. I do this simply to keep myself from falling prey to my own dark side, which threatens to force its way out into action mode, with only one purpose, to destroy. It works fairly well; I have yet to break my personal vow to NOT kill. I will admit, there are moments I don’t know why I keep myself from doing so, for there are many who deserve to die. But, I promised my mom I’d do all I could to keep from allowing nature to take a natural course…. So far, so good.

But, I digress. We’re here to get us down the page, not to get chatty or philosophical, which belongs further down. Who knows? What happens next is still pretty well unplanned, so, y’all could see damn near anything. In fact, let’s get started, before I get any stranger, okay? I can feel things morphing as I type, so, we’d best get on with it, before reality makes a fool of us, yet again….

Shall we pearl?….

“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

While looking for music yesterday, I came across this concert from two of the best musicians in the business. The video picture isn’t great, but, the sound is excellent, which is fine with me…. Enjoy!…..

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Garcia & GrismanLive in Concert

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“In the words of Shankarachaya,
“All impossible things can be made possible
save the bringing of the fool’s mind to the point of truth.”

~~ Hazrat Inayat Khan (Sufi writer) ~~

Since the quote you see leading off this section is so versatile, it can stay, though I did not use it for a fresh piece. It leads into the following material, which is from the archives, quite nicely, and will do for today’s off-the-cuff format…. Besides, it’s all still relevant, sadly, even though parts of it are almost four years old…. Enjoy!….

From 1/11/2015:

On December 6 of 2012, the Pearl I wrote turned out pretty well, with two pretty good mini-rants on two subjects. Given the recent spate of killings by police, in this country alone, this outburst is particularly relevant. I don’t think it’s necessary to reiterate my belief the world is over-militarized, whether by local police, or large national police organizations, or military institutions on a national level….

But, then, it is well to remember, the making and selling of arms, and all of the other weapons of war and destruction, IS the oldest, largest, most lucrative business on this planet, a fact of which all governments, all large religious institutions, and all multi-national corporations are fully aware, as evidenced by their uniform complicity, in allowing it to continue to furnish the means by which Man’s insane avarice for power is expressed, endlessly….

From 12/6/2012:

“Who will protect the public when the police violate the law?” — Ramsey Clark

Here is a question that is particularly relevant in today’s society. In my time on this sad little ball of mud, I have studied the various parts that make up our culture, and the police, due to their ubiquitous nature, have always been right there at the forefront of my observations. We all have our stories of how we have had to deal with police in various circumstances, not all of which show them in their best light. In fact, next to lawyers, police officers are probably the most reviled members of society, as well as one of the most admired. There are good reasons to support both views…..

I cannot say that my knowledge of ALL policemen is complete; I don’t know them all. But my observations over the years have indicated that at least half of those who enter the field do so out of a desire to have power over others, rather than an impulse to be of service. It is easy to spot these folks…. They’re the ones who never signal a turn in their cars, and are always moving at a speed greater than the posted limit. They assume that the laws that govern the populace are not applicable to them, and act accordingly. They enter any situation with the attitude that “might is right”, and attempt to intimidate anyone who tries to usurp or question their authority. They don’t serve as policemen to keep the peace, but to control the beasts….. two entirely different goals.

I find myself at this point to be in the beginning stages of a rant; this subject is one that frustrates me a lot, as I believe that the police should be offering themselves as an example of honorable, lawful behavior. Many of them do so, but a large number are no more concerned with serving and protecting than they are in consuming donuts without sprinkles. Due to circumstances well within my control, I’m not in the mood for ranting this morning, so I’m going to let this go without further comment.

Suffice it to say that society needs to consider the question asked above by Mr. Clark, and take a hard, realistic look at the requirements needed to procure police officers who are of the proper frame of mind to assume the responsibilities involved in public protection. It seems to me that psychological testing of potential officers would be a good place to start; perhaps some of those who go into the field for their own purposes might not be given such power, if they could be winnowed out in the testing process…… Perhaps then we would begin to see the police set the example for the rest of society, rather than proving to be one of the problems we need to solve…..

“The superior man is the providence of the inferior. He is eyes for the blind, strength for the weak, and a shield for the defenseless. He stands erect by bending above the fallen. He rises by lifting others.” — Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)

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Dreaming, I wait….

In the most patient moments of rationality
kindness flows smoothly in a special milieu,
fallow thoughts speed first from equality
to give no anxious fever, anger to eschew.

Intimate knowledge finds only the bold few
with courage and virtue to gift, unbidden.
No solemn royal version may pass in review,
true love for man, never to remain unhidden.

Sweet feathers of Emily’s hope uplift,
calm, drowsy episodes bursting with light,
With final glad cries we set ourselves adrift,
swimming in the oceans of natural delight.

When sorrow is banished, in ages yet to come,
roots solidly anchored, cold and remote,
Ample supplies of kindness sit silent and dumb,
and the old stranger shrugs on his faded coat.

Dreaming, then, I wait with shadows in the night
aspiring to inspire, a message from the muse’s heart
Never forgotten images, framed in color bright,
tempt me only, grieving, steeped in serenity’s arcane art.

~~ gigoid ~~

8/18/2013

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Our final pearl is also from the archives, simply because SB decided not to cooperate with our high-speed demands for a quick group. On the same day as the rant we used today, the old-school pearl was also a good one, so, we are using it here again today. Go figure, eh? As noted, it’s a good one, so, try to pay attention; you’re almost done…. *grin*

From 1/11/2015:

This is what I’d call a prototypical pearl, which is of a variety which makes it plain life isn’t as simple as it seems, yet, provides us with all we need to understand any complexity, if we are open to developing a character of honor, dignity, and courage, tempered by kindness, and its outgrowth, compassion….

“Life is a struggle with the obvious. We have been so blinkered with expectations or so blinded with choices that seeing and accepting the obvious becomes rare and courageous.” — Callan Williams

“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.” — Buddha (B.C. 568-488)

“Man is a religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion – several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn’t straight” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) — The Damned Human Race

“Determine never to be idle…It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.” — Thomas Jefferson

“Character is much easier kept than recovered.” — Thomas Paine

“Of all the benefits that virtue confers upon us, the contempt of death is one of the greatest.” — Montaigne (1533-1592)

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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Okay, I did it. I cheated, badly, but, it’s done, so, who cares? Not me, and, not you, because, hey, you’re done, too. I’ll just take this moment to issue our usual warning, to wit: See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Nobody seems willing to try to stop me, so, what the hell…. Why not? It certainly can’t make anything worse than it already seems to be….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

The Sufi quote is excellent…..”Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.”..Albert. “Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.” (?)…..sorry at much in the mood for tunes today….chuq

LOL! I gave up outlining, for just that reason… Now I just write it as it occurs to me… I’ve been at this long enough to not always need an outline, anyway….

Lucky for me, my door to the world is not easily seen or approached, so, I’m spared having to control my homicidal urges to answer it… Of course, my neighbor often brings that to the surface, but, a heavy bang on the wall usually takes care of that…

LOL! At this age, I figure, if they come to my door, whatever happens is their problem; I ain’t gonna worry over a stray body or two…

Hmm.. perhaps
Lao Tzu was
a little short
hearted here..
as science wasn’t
up to date then on
the workings of the human
brain.. as the neo-cortical
part is what sets us apart
from the rest of the mammal
kingdom.. at least.. as yes..
other mammals.. particularly
social animals.. and the Bonobo
particularly shows more heart now
than human without this neo-coritical
slightly higher and greater exercised
potential.. and it IS A great thing that the
rest of nature is not human headed or
we would all likely be extinct.. as the
human headed way.. is definitely
not smArt
overALL
as it is
short sighted
by far of what
nature does as
whole as God as
sAmE in Balance as
culture is the virus that
IS A by product of that
human head.. and in particular
the prehensile thumb and hand
and sticks scratching sanskrit
like alphabets in sand.. bigger
heads for smaller hips..
more dependent
babies..
greater
social communication..
written language.. culture
and the by-products of culture..
namely.. the infra-structure of that
eating away the life giving subsistence
resources of nature whole earth for all the
rest of God Nature that lives here in balance
in the circle of life.. the circle is fucked up and
the monkey
wrench
is the
human
head..
more specifically..
the FucKinG alphaBET..;)

Lao is wrong. Nature is just as blissfully narcissistic as any human I have met. She meets her own needs without one wit of regard for those who may fall prey to such shenanigans. Methinks he needs to rethink this one.

Aristotle for the win.

Hazrat’s truth is framed in the definition of a fool: a person who lacks good sense or judgment. Judgment is required to assess the veracity of even the most plausibly portrayed scenarios.

I might note, before I have fully read the above rants, what with my abhorrence for politics as it were, in today’s portrayal of events, citizens are now referred to as “civilians”. Good luck tracing the etymology of this one. Our definition changed without fanfare. Whilst not incorrect per se, it is a change in our perception which exacerbates the “us versus them” mentality being fueled on both sides. When have you ever heard a firefighter call a citizen a civilian?

This blatant shift in the monologue is poignant, even if it has slipped past the pubic at large. (No, that is not a misspelling. The public consists mostly of cunts whose only purpose is to praise being fucked by the system they voted into office.)

My sole commentary on this subject is: Parents suck.

Ingersoll gets the Purple Heart. Strength comes from being wounded and, although in Thanatos’ clutch, reaching for the one with the skint knee.

Safety is pale. The protection which provides it blocks out all light which would cause the seeds of adventure to break through.

Today, serenity is truly arcane. The pubic is consumed with sensationalization. Balance is merely a state deemed lacking.

“What makes you so smart, Red?”
“I refuse to ignore the obvious.”

Buddha has part of it, but he and I disagree on the definition of virtue. I simply see virtue as refusing to pollute the truth with the unnecessary, inane and impudent.

So, Sam really believed man was the bottom of the food chain. Cheerio!

Jefferson’s quote is how I have packed so much life into my short time on this piece of space debris.

Thomas would be disturbed to see how character is now in the $1 bin because it has no value in today’s society.

Montaigne makes me laugh. Seriously. I could rant here, but I shan’t,

Some days, I believe the greatest kindness is to let Darwin be proved correct.
xxx